Turkey launched its first domestically produced communications satellite, Turksat 6A, into orbit early this week, widening the country's satellite coverage and meeting its television broadcasting needs.

Ericsson announced on Monday it has extended its R&D partnership with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) for another two years to continue research related to 5G and 6G technologies.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) says it has embarked on a project with UAE operator group Etisalat by e& to build what it claims is the energy sector’s largest ever private 5G network, spanning 11,000 square kilometres.

­Swedish vendor Ericsson announced the appointment of Patrick Johansson as Head of Market Area Middle East and Africa, replacing Fadi Pharaon who announced his departure in May.

European fibre backbone and subsea infrastructure provider EXA Infrastructure says it has signed a deal with Turkey’s SOCAR Fiber to develop a terrestrial fibre optic route across Turkey that it says will add diversity to the cluster of subsea cables in the Red Sea corridor.

UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) says it has contracted SpaceX as the launch provider for its upcoming new geostationary satellites, Al Yah 4 (AY4) and Al Yah 5 (AY5).

Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies reportedly launched a call for tenders for 5G operating licences on Sunday, with the aim of launching commercial 5G services in some form as early as November this year.

Saudi Arabian telco STC Group announced on Monday that it has deployed an AI-powered self-organizing network (SON) solution from Nokia in its network to automate network optimization.

Nokia acquired Infinera for US$2.3 billion to increase its scale in optical networks, a move to bolster future products and improve its profit line.  

Orange opened its IoT digital platform to energy suppliers in Africa and the Middle East that tracks payment, solar kits and smart meters in rural locations, in a bid to boost uptake of its services and electricity in emerging markets.

Chinese LEO satellite operator Geespace said on Tuesday it has successfully tested its ‘Geely Future Mobility Constellation’ network outside of China for the first time with Oman-based satellite services provider Azyan Telecom.

A programme of indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi 6 access points, which provides internet resources for 1.3 million students across Morocco, is to use wireless technology from Cambium Networks, a leading global provider of wireless networking solutions.

Hughes Network Systems, a provider of broadband satellite services, products and managed network solutions, has announced a major sale involving Saudi Arabia.

­­Smartphone shipments in Africa surged 24% in the first quarter of this year due to lowering inflation and new device launches.

The Saudi Arabian Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) has announced that Aramco Digital, the digital technology services subsidiary of state-owned Saudi oil and gas company Saudi Aramco, has obtained what is called a Specialized Radio Network Licence in the 450MHz band.

Smartphone shipments have for the first time surpassed feature phone stock in Africa,  showcasing the rise in adoption of more advanced handsets across the region.

UAE-headquartered satellite solutions provider Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) says it has contracted satellite manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space for its new geostationary (GEO) telecommunications satellites, Al Yah 4 (AY4) and Al Yah 5 (AY5).

Infrastructure provider Bahrain Network (BNET) announced late last week the launch of a project to transfer all the kingdom's copper internet networks to an ultra-high-speed fibre network.

Telecom Egypt and subsea data system supplier SubCom said on Wednesday that they have successfully completed two cable landing stations in Egypt for the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) subsea cable system.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has partnered with Medi Telecom, part of the Orange Group, in Morocco.

Telecommunications operator and ICT provider Ooredoo Qatar has announced what it calls its pioneering Clean Energy – Super Hybrid programme.

Ericsson announced on Monday that Vodafone Egypt has become the first mobile operator to deploy its triple-band radio, which supports both FDD and TDD spectrum, as part of its network modernisation and capacity expansion initiative.